Did anyone else feel that a lot of the powers of the Summoner (and his Eidolon) were activated by a Standard versus Move or Free? I caught it with 'Bond Senses' in particular.
My guess is that all the standard action activations is to keep the Summoner from stealing the bank in the action economy. With the Eidolons as powerful as they are, getting two complete sets of actions in a round (one for the Summoner, one for the Eidolon) is a big balance red flag. Making most of the Summoner's extra abilities standard actions evens that out somewhat.
Director of Game Design
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My guess is that all the standard action activations is to keep the Summoner from stealing the bank in the action economy. With the Eidolons as powerful as they are, getting two complete sets of actions in a round (one for the Summoner, one for the Eidolon) is a big balance red flag. Making most of the Summoner's extra abilities standard actions evens that out somewhat.
Zurai is pretty close to the money with this explanation.
Jason Bulmahn
Lead Designer
Paizo Publishing
Still, nearly everything requiring a standard action (and not full-round, like is normal with Summon Monster) means that the summoner remains just a mobile as any of the other spellcasters. If you've got your move action available, best to use it!